Review of Kate's Mix on Round Four

Now 4 for 4 in Mix Club satisfaction! This one is an All-Male Revue with an interesting variety of music, including some old favorites, and new finds. Thanks a lot, Kate!

1. Wake Up Little Sparrow - Devendra Banhart

Great starter! This is a spare, melodic, kind of melancholy song that I couldn't place in time. I'd never heard of Devendra Banhart and was mildly surprised to find the song was as recent as 2005. Very lovely, haunting song.

2. Once Around The Block - Badly Drawn Boy

This is very cool - nice and jazzy, reminds me of a Jazz Butcher song. This would be a nice one for a drive on a spring day with the windows down.

3. Rosie Won't You Please Come Home - The Kinks

I love this one! A lot of content in the guise of minor key pop tune, the song is in the voice of a parent begging their child to come home: "Two long years have passed away/ Since you tried to change your life, Christmas wasn't quite the same." The harpsichord is a nice and very 60s touch.

4. Our Little Angel - Elvis Costello

This one is an old favorite, with classically arresting lyrics: "Well you try to love her but she's so contrary /Like a chainsaw running through a dictionary."

5. Lazy Bones - Leon Redbone

Leon Redbone always makes me smile. He sings all his songs like he's half-asleep or half-drunk, and it works for him. This is an old Hoagy Carmichael tune, perfect for Redbone's style.

6. No Time - Ian McGlynn

This is really good new discovery for me. I love the horns on this piece, and its overall catchiness. I definitely want to hear more from Mr. McGlynn.

7. Anything and Everything - The Posies

Hmmmm. It's a nice song. Can't come up with much of a comment, though. It wasn't one that stood out.

8. Punchbag - The Bees

I'm surprised how much I like this one! Trippy music with a running keyboard arpeggio but not much melodic focus, kind of jazzy with horns, a high vocal line with interesting harmonies. I just found this one really cool and easy to listen to.

9. Skin, is my - Andrew Bird

Cool! This one didn't grab my attention the first few playthroughs but only now that I'm sitting here and paying attention to it as I write, I realize that it's really an amazing song - nonlinear, all kinds of sounds going on, shifts from one vocal style to another, but totally held together with the rhythm and movement that makes me want to get up and dance. I like the string instrument that's being plucked throughout - don't know what it is, but it adds a lot. I looked this guy up in Wikipedia - he has quite the musical history. Really interesting, complex, unusual song.

10.Little Things - Bobby Goldsboro

Ooh, Bobby Goldsboro! I used to have huge crush on the man in 1975 when he was on tv and I was nine years old. I don't remember this song from these days - I only remember "Honey," which was a horrible, maudlin song that made me lay awake in bed crying about death. This song is way, way better. It's a perfect example of the Catchy Little Pop Song, which always makes me happy.

11. Last Thoughts On Woody Guthrie - Bob Dylan

Here was a nice surprise - spoken word poetry from Bob Dylan. I'm really glad I got to hear this - thank you!

12. How To Fight Loneliness - Wilco

The answer is to the implied question is: Smile all the time. A low-key song, not very memorable for me.

13. Crooked Dice - Grant Lee Buffalo

Basic rock song - it reminded me, in a good way, of the music I used to listen to on 96 Rock in my best friend's car on the way home from high school.

14. Sometimes I Wish I Was A Pretty Girl - Robyn Hitchcock

Not sure what to make of this. Interesting, not bad to listen to, but unappealing lyrics. Not even sure what he's saying he wants to do to himself in the shower, although it's a fairly obvious guess.

15. What's Your Fashion - Tony Allen

Awesome! Afrobeat jazz, I absolutely love it, must hear more. Nigerian Tony Allen is the drummer on this totally rhythm-oriented song, and someone named Eska adds the vocals

16. When I'm With You - Archer Prewitt

A nice, upbeat song that really moves and an electric guitar line that really reminds me of Steely Dan - which is never bad. Another good song for a long drive with the windows down.

17. Pusherman - Curtis Mayfield

Sung entirely in falsetto, this song reminded me of The Jackal (from that scene with Allison Janney lip-syncing on The West Wing). This song comes from the soundtrack of Superfly and has all you could possibly want from 60s era r&b.

18. Jesus Gonna Be Here - Tom Waits

I love Tom Waits, but had never heard this song. It's a good one! Very typical of his style. Coincidentally, I recent sent someone a mix that included his "Chocolate Jesus."

19. Dirty Work - Steely Dan

I LOVE Steely Dan. They were my first favorite band, and I've never really gotten tired of them. This song is from an early album, Can't Buy A Thrill, with David Palmer on vocals, so it doesn't have quite the characteristic Steely Dan sound - still, a great song!

20. Same Thing - The Grays

I used to have Ro Sham Bo on cassette and the car ate it when I hadn't had it very long. I never replaced it, but I should have because I really liked it - especially this song! I've had the chorus in my head all day. Too bad The Grays didn't last as a band.

21. Strung Out Again - Elliott Smith

This last track brings the mood down a bit with a song about drug abuse. This is actually a lovely song, and reminds me a little of Neil Young's "The Needle and the Damage Done."